LONDON (AP) – Now it’s Maria Sharapova’s turn at Wimbledon to try to put an end to Serena Williams’ bid for the third leg of a calendar-year Grand Slam – and a fourth consecutive major title.
The No. 1-seeded Williams takes a 26-match Grand Slam winning streak, which began at last year’s U.S. Open, into her semifinal Thursday at the All England Club against No. 4 Sharapova.
And while Sharapova has spent time atop the rankings, too, and owns five major titles of her own, this has not been much of a rivalry on the court.
Off the court? Well, that’s another story. Most infamously, in the run-up to Wimbledon two years ago, they exchanged barbs, via the media, connected to their respective love lives.
But with rackets in their hands, this has been a one-way street: Williams has won 17 of their 19 career meetings, including the past 16 in a row. Both of Sharapova’s victories in the series came all the way back in 2004; one of those was in the Wimbledon final.